G is for Glass Frog Facts : A-Z Collection of Cool Animals

G is for Glass Frog Facts

Glass frogs are so named because of their translucent abdominal skin. They belong to the Centrolenidae family of amphibians and are found in humid rain forests throughout Central and South America including Belize, Costa Rica, Colombia, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico and Panama. To date, thirteen species of cloud frogs have been identified in Costa Rica.

John Clare, Flickr

Glass Frog Facts – Anatomy

Glass frogs are generally small, ranging from 1.2 to 3.0 (3 to 7.5 cm) in length.

They are typically a soft lime-green color, with yellow suction pads on its fingers and toes.

They have very unique eyes, which are forward-facing. The irises are gold.

The most unique feature of the glass frog is its transparent underbelly, which reveals a fully visible system of organs, including the liver, full intestinal tract, and heart, which one can actually see beating. In females, one can bsee eggs when they are gravid.

Take a look at this short but fascinating video.

Glass Frogs Facts – Habitat

Glass frogs live almost exclusively in the humid rain forest trees of Central and South America. They can sometimes be found on low hanging branches near or around running water where it lays its eggs.

The glass frog is a nocturnal creature. During the day it sleeps in thick forest vegetation. They actively spend their evenings searching for food. Night and early morning is their most active time for breeding.

Santiago Ron, Flickr

Glass Frog Facts – Mating

Glass frogs live along rivers and streams during the breeding season.

Male glass frogs are territorial and will not allow another male on its turf, chasing them away if they dare to try. The males have a distinctive mating call which increases in volume as they age or become more dominant.

The female lays a clutch of 18 to 30 eggs on the underside of leaves or branches hanging over streams, creeks or small rivers.

Males stand guard over the eggs to protect them from predators and keep them moist. When the eggs hatch, the tadpoles drop into the stream or river below, where they develop into frogs.

Glass Frog Facts – Diet

Glass frogs have a diet consisting of flies, spiders and other small invertebrates.

Glass Frog Facts – Threats

Although the glass frog is one of the more abundant species found in Central and South America, habitat loss from deforestation and human activity is a threat.

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Born in Nova Scotia, I moved to the United States 20+ years ago.I am a dedicated lover of animals and fight for their rights and protection.I love people too, of course, and enjoy meeting folks from all walks of life.I enjoy philosophical discussion, laughing, and really odd ball stuff.I hope you enjoy my site.Leave me a comment to let me know you were here!Peace out.

Isn’t it, though? I couldn’t resist writing about it once I saw the image. I just love sharing something like this with my readers. I’m so glad you stopped to visit my blog today, Mary. I truly appreciate you. 🙂

What beautiful and amazing creatures! The video where you could actually see the frog’s heart beating was stunning. You have a beautiful and fascinating blog. Happy A-to-Z blogging!Jeannette recently posted…G is for grooming your dog at home

I’m glad you enjoyed and appreciated the glass frog, Jeannette. 🙂 Yes, the beating heart is amazing, isn’t it? Wow. Thank you so much for visiting, and you have fun too with the A-Z Challenge. It’s keeping us on her toes, is it not? I’ll go check out your post about grooming your dog at home now. Peace.

Fascinating! Are they the only creatures with a translucent underbelly? Imagine if people were like that. A species of people whose entire organ system was visible through translucent skin. Sounds ikky, but would make for an interesting sci-fi story… 🙂Colin recently posted…Gold

If humans had this features, I’m afraid it wouldn’t be as pretty to look at as the Glass Frog’s. Know what I mean? Eww. Not with all the junk food we tend to eat. lol Thanks for much for visiting my blog today, Colin, and for reading my post. I do hope you’ll come back soon! Take care! 🙂

It’s my pleasure to bring creatures that people have never heard of to my blog, Cheryl. I love learning about them, and then sharing them with you. It’s how I get my education! 🙂 Thanks so much for stopping by. Going to read your post now.

Jeanne Melanson is just an ordinary gal from Nova Scotia, now living in Michigan.

Her animal family has included 13 Alpine Goats, 40 Chickens, 20 Turkeys, 3 Vietnamese Pot Bellied Pigs, a number of Turtles, 2 Raccoons, 1 Opossum , her share of Cats and Dogs, and a Bearded Dragon named Shirley.